Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1715 



inent only in adults; ventral flap longer than head, about \ length of 

 body. Scales on ventral flap developed as flat plates, with their free mar- 

 gins pectinate. Snout pointed, the upper profile concave. Dorsal spine 

 strong, nearly as long as head, armed behind with 2 rows of retrorse barbs; 

 ventral spine small, rough. Color varying very much with the surround- 

 ings of the fish, from dull olive gray to the most vivid grass green; the 

 markings not well defined and not very constant; green, with white cirri 

 on sides ; a whitish longitudinal cloud behind pectorals ; a pale band down- 

 ward and forward from eye; lower side of head with darker cross bands; 

 dorsal and anal pinkish, with (usually 3) darker spots at base; ventral 

 flap edged with scarlot; caudal greenish, mottled with darker and pale; 

 Rome specimens show neither red nor green shades, and have vague, dusky, 

 longitudinal stripes. West Indies and Florida; very abundant about the 

 Florida Keys, with M. hispidus. The young of the 2 very much alike, but 

 dliatus is always more elongate, and as it grows older the pelvic flap grows 

 much larger and the armature of the tail more distinct. Length 4 to 8 

 inches, (ciliatus, fringed with lashes.) 



Balistes ciliatus, MITCHILL, Amer. Monthly Mag. and Grit, Rev., March, 1818, 326, Bahama 

 Straits. 



Monacanthus piraaca, KNER, Novara Fische, 396, 1867, Rio Janeiro. 



Monacanthus occidental, GUNTHER, Cat., vin, 237, 1870, Puerto Cabello ; JORDAN & GIL- 

 BERT, Synopsis, 856, 1883. 



Monacanthus davidsoni* COPE, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. Phila., xiv, 1870, 476, Florida Reef; 

 JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 857, 1883. 



Monacanthus ciliatus, JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1884, 145. 



2131. MONACANTHUS HISPIDUS (Linnaeus). 

 (FooL FISH; FILE FISH; LEATHER FISH; HORNY CONY; LIJA.) 



Head 3* ; depth If. D. I, 32; A. 32. Young slightly deeper (1) pro- 

 portionally than adnlt. Body rather deep. Jaws subeqnal; eyes large, 

 ahout 3 in snont. Gill opening about as long as eye, separated from the 

 eye by an interspace nearly equal to its length. Anterior profile slightly 

 concave. Dorsal spine somewhat shorter than snout, more than -J- head, 

 inserted above posterior part of eye, stout, rough, armed behind with 2 

 rows of retrorse barbs ; first ray of soft dorsal often filamentous in the 

 adult (male?), its length varying from that of snout to that of depth of body 

 (longest among specimens seen by us is 1 from the Canary Islands); pec- 

 torals small. Pelvic bone long, ending in a short, blunt, movable spine, 

 beyond which the abdominal flap does not extend. Scales minute, each 

 with a crest of about 3 prickles, those on caudal peduncle villous, those on 

 ventral flap larger, elongate ; no naked areas ; no recurved spines on tail. 

 Grass green or olive ; back and sides with faint, irregular whitish spots ; 

 head plain ; spinous dorsal and caudal green ; second dorsal and anal 



* Depth 2. D. I, 30; A. 28. Scales with 3 scutes on a common base; long, slender, 

 recurved spines on tail, in 2 or 3 clusters each ; sides with slender scattered filaments. 

 Dorsal spine with strong teeth, its height i depth of body ; pelvic plate elongate, spinous 

 all around. Brown, with 5 longitudinal hands with pale centers, the upper and lower 

 forming 3 dark blotches at base of dorsal and anal; head unspotted; caudal with a brown 

 cross band. Florida Reef. (Cope.) 



